BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
In an effort to discourage rights abuses in the aviation industry, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is wielding the big stick against Kenya Airways over multiple consumer protection violations, including the mistreatment of passenger Gloria Omisore.
The airline’s failure to comply with regulatory directives, coupled with a series of unresolved infractions, has drawn the aviation regulator’s ire.
Kenya Airways’ Country Manager in Nigeria, James Nganga, admitted that the airline made a serious oversight by allowing Omisore to board from Lagos without verifying her transit visa for France.
This error resulted in a grueling 17-hour layover in Nairobi, where she was later informed that an additional 10-hour wait was required before she could continue to London.
“We acknowledge that the passenger should not have been boarded from Lagos without proper checks. The extended layover and the handling of her request for care during the wait were not up to our expected service standards,” Nganga conceded.
Omisore, who was bleeding and in need of a place to freshen up, had requested care for the additional 10-hour delay. Instead of professional assistance, she was met with poor passenger handling.
Contrary to the misleading claims in the airline’s initial public statement, Omisore was neither unruly on her first flight nor rude during the Lagos-Nairobi leg.
The NCAA rejected Kenya Airways’ version of events, demanding that the airline issue a corrected statement reflecting the actual facts of the case.
However, the airline has refused to comply. “The airline was given an opportunity to fix what was wrong, but it has failed to do so. Instead, misleading narratives have been allowed to spread unchecked,” an NCAA official stated in a statement.
The controversy was further inflamed by a blog post from a journalist, Charles Onyango-Obbo, which claimed that Omisore had “blatantly refused the offer to fly to London.”
This assertion, the NCAA insists, is false.
Nganga himself admitted that Omisore only became frustrated when she realised that the 10-hour wait attached to the airline’s offer did not come with accommodation or basic care.
“This was a bleeding woman who had already endured a 17-hour layover. She simply needed a place to clean up. If the airline was not going to provide care, its staff should have at least handled the matter professionally,” the NCAA stated.
A viral video of the incident captured a Kenya Airways staff member raising her voice and insulting Omisore. Nganga later acknowledged that the staff’s behaviour was against airline policy.
Beyond the incident, Kenya Airways has failed to comply with NCAA regulations in other areas.
Just yesterday, the airline requested a one-hour extension to meet the NCAA’s compliance requirements, yet still failed to comply.
On Thursday, in a separate incident, the airline neglected to submit a compliance report after passengers endured a seven-hour flight delay without compensation.
When confronted over the phone, Kenya Airways’ representatives claimed ignorance of NCAA regulations.
“How can you operate in a foreign country without knowledge of its aviation regulations? This is no different from those who argued that Omisore should have known all the travel requirements for her trip,” the NCAA remarked.
In response to these failures, the NCAA has announced a mandatory retreat for all airlines operating in Nigeria to ensure full understanding and compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, which governs consumer protection and airline responsibilities.
Kenya Airways’ infractions extend beyond this case, with a backlog of unresolved complaints including unpaid refunds, lost baggage claims that remain unaddressed despite the airline’s admissions and a consistent failure to honor commitments to passengers.
With the airline’s continued non-compliance, the NCAA has initiated stiff enforcement measures against Kenya Airways.
“This action will follow due process, and our legal department has been put on notice. We will not tolerate airlines operating in Nigeria with disregard for passenger rights and regulatory compliance,” the NCAA affirmed.
The regulator’s firm stance, according to industry watchers, amplifies the message that passenger rights must be upheld and non-compliance with aviation regulations will not be tolerated.
